Networks, such as the World Wide Web (WWW) or Internet, are powerful tools that allow people to access information and communicate with one another. One popular mechanism for using these networks to meet and interact with people are online social networks. This category includes a range of applications, such as chat rooms and listserv groups, that allow users to discuss a variety of pre-determined topics.
Unfortunately, the ever-changing nature of people's interests, for example, based on current events, is often at odds with the pre-determined nature of these environments, and it may be challenging to keep these communication environments topical and relevant to the current interests of users. As a consequence, these applications are often lagging indicators of users' interests.
Furthermore, by their nature chat rooms and groups target audiences that have at least a minimum size. As such, it is often difficult for users who are interested in less popular topics to find and communicate with one another.
There is a need, therefore, for improved social networks that address the aforementioned challenges.